Education Plan Academic Goal Establishment and Implementation

Education Plan

Academic Goal Establishment and Implementation

Establishing a clear and common academic goal across a broad population of students can be quite difficult, especially when there are students with special learning needs included at all levels of academic achievement and progress within the student population. Educators and administrators need to ensure that courses and materials aren't simply "taught to the middle," which does a significant disservice to those students both above and below grade level and skill when it comes to specific areas of learning. That is, teaching only to the established criteria of a grade level, which (assuming the criteria have been properly established) should serve the needs of the largest segment of the student population, means students that are more advanced in their progress and those that are struggling with the material receive a lower quality of education and reduced opportunities for personal growth and development. Academic goals implemented by educators across student populations need to bolster the progress and learning of all students, with all needs and at all levels.

Developing such a concrete yet all-encompassing goal for a seventh-grade English class is far easier said than done. The different reading levels that are present in students at this age, as well as the different interest levels in reading and reading improvement, vary considerably. Among the twenty percent of students that perform above grade level in this case, it can be assumed that some are far above grade level (potentially at a higher reading level than some adults), while others would be reading at a high-school level; the range in low performers would be similarly large. A single goal for all students seems, at first glance, entirely elusive.

Such a goal can be designed, however, and for this scenario an effective goal would be to increase reading confidence and stylistic appreciation/differentiation. Not only should students have measurably improved confidence reading both silently and aloud by the end of the course, but they should also be able to tell what authors studied might have composed certain texts -- they will learn to better identify and appreciate stylistic differences. This two-part goal was selected because both parts will have benefits, albeit in varying amounts, for students across the spectrum of progress and achievement in their reading skills. Advanced students might not notice as much of an improvement in their confidence, which would presumably already be relatively high, however their stylistic appreciation and identification abilities -- which promote critical thinking and greater textual engagement -- should be seen to markedly rise, while less advanced students will likely not achieve the same level of critical engagement with the text but through sincere and well-focused efforts can significantly improve their confidence in reading, which will promote learning in other areas as well and also create the potential for greater critical involvement with reading.

One specific strategy that would be used to achieve this goal would be the regular assignment of individual reading projects, and one-on-one meetings with students (ideally meeting with each student once every two weeks) to discuss progress. Reading selections would need to be approved, but could com at all levels and could be tailored to individual preferences and skill levels. Through the ongoing discussion of the reading projects, including any issues that came up (hard words, complex plots, enigmatic characters, etc.) and how the student handled them, encouragement and practical solutions can be provided that will both help to boost confidence and explain stylistic choices on the part of the other. Reinforcement of major concepts will be occurring in class as part of the regular curriculum, however references to specific student readings can also be incorporated into such lessons to make the links between general information and personal experience that much more clear.